World AIDS Day: Child headed homes

That's according to the Hillcrest Aids Centre, a non-profit organisation which deals with the HIV/AIDS pandemic, and the growing rise of child-headed households in SA.

CEO of the organisation, Olivia Myeza, says for 26 years, their role in rural communities and areas west of Durban has been to provide care, economic empowerment, and education to the community about HIV prevention.  

"We see these cases where children are being raised in child-headed homes with no caregivers - especially in the Valley of a Thousand Hills area," she says.

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Myeza adds this is not a healthy environment for children to be placed or grow-up in, as the younger sibling often looks to the older one for protection, provision, guidance and love - which is difficult for an adolescent to give, especially when they are going through changes themselves. 

"When children grow up without a parent, there is a lot of things lacking - like provision. Without parents working and earning, the child will have to look to themselves to put food on the table, to pay school fees, to run the household, to look after other siblings etc, so it is a huge problem and we are trying to help as many children as we can," she said.  

Myeza says growing up in a child-headed home as the 'responsible one', has sadly become a contributing factor to the 'sugar daddy' epidemic facing the country. 

She says this does not only affect girls.

"Many boys get into gangs because they don't have parents to teach them right from wrong and they need to have a sense of family, of love and a place that he would belong to - so he would join a gang and the risk of him being exposed to drugs, sex and contracting HIV increases," she said. 

Myeza adds that many children from child-headed homes are at a risk of contracting HIV - due to the lack of a parent figure in their lives to shelter them from exterior influences.

Myeza says as an organization, they have started a prevention programme to help children living in child-headed homes - and educate them about sex and HIV. The organization also aims to provide financial help to these families. 

She says that there are a number of field workers who have been assigned to certain areas - that step in and provide home and school visits, and also check on the needs of children living in these homes.

"We go out and teach these kids about managing a budget as well as we provide financial management skills, life skills, and other programmes to cater to needs of each family," she said.

One such person who was raised in a child-headed home and who worked closely with the Hillcrest Aids Centre is *Sandile (not his real name.)

Sandile's mother passed away when he was very young, and his dad left the family and remarried into another. His oldest brother, *Ted, looked after the six siblings - and when he got married, their sister took over the responsibility. 

Sandile says growing up in a child-headed home was not easy. 

Hear Sandile's story below: 

Nineteen-year-old Sandile matriculated last year and has since found employment. He and his siblings are also working towards establishing an organisation that will help and support members of their community in any way possible. He says although small, they are still growing and trying to reach out to other child-headed homes - to help provide support and counsel to those children.